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Poll: Feinstein backs federal terror trials

November 18th, 2009, 8:44 am by Dena Bunis, Washington Bureau Chief
Sen. Dianne Feinstein

Sen. Dianne Feinstein

Sen. Dianne Feinstein told Attorney General Eric Holder this morning that she fully supports his decision to bring the masterminds of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to New York City for federal trials.

“I happen to believe that our federal judges are our best and I happen to believe that New York City is able to handle this in a very professional and definitively legal matter,’’ said Feinstein, D-Calif., who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Holder was questioned by the Judiciary Committee about his decision to send five 9/11 conspirators to a court that is just blocks from World Trade Center ground zero. Click here for Holder’s statement.

“The attack in New York was both a major attack of war and a major and horrific criminal event,’’ said Feinstein, who said in the past seven years only three cases were tried by military commissions.

Republicans on the panel criticized Holder’s decision, saying these terrorists should be treated as war criminals and tried under military justice.

 

How should we bring the 9/11 terrorists to justice?
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Posted in: Foreign policy • Total Buzz poll • U.S. Senate | 31 Comments »

Feds won’t go after medical marijuana use

October 19th, 2009, 8:13 am by Dena Bunis, Washington Bureau Chief
Albert Maraz, owner of Lake Forest Alternative Center, weighs an order of marijuana for a customer.

Albert Maraz, owner of Lake Forest Alternative Center, weighs an order of marijuana for a customer.

Department of Justice officials issued a memo today telling prosecutors that they have better things to do than to bust people for using marijuana for medical purposes in the 14 states, including California, that have made the medicinal use of the otherwise illegal drug legal.

The Justice Department memo says that the priorities of the department continue to be going after drug traffickers. “As a general matter,” the memo says, ”pursuit of these priorities should not focus federal resources in your States on individuals whose actions are in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana

“For example, prosecution of individuals with cancer or other serious illnesses who use marijuana as part of a recommended treatment regimen consistent with applicable state law, or those caregivers in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state law who provide such individuals with marijuana, is unlikely to be an efficient use of limited federal resources.”

Should feds leave medical marijuana clinics alone?
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Posted in: News roundup • Total Buzz poll | 74 Comments »

Senate panel puts health reform one step closer to reality

October 13th, 2009, 12:58 pm by Dena Bunis, Washington Bureau Chief
SEnate Finance Committee deliberates health reform

SEnate Finance Committee deliberates health reform

This morning the Senate Finance Committee became the fifth and final congressional panel to act on a health reform measure. Now it’s up to Senate and House leaders to bring something to their chambers for a debate and vote.

The Finance Committee bill was adopted by 14 to 9, with Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine the only Republican to vote yes. All the Democrats on the panel supported the bill.

The Senate bill seems to be the one that comes closest to what President Barack Obama wants to see come to his desk. But it’s going to be a long way between here and there.

Is Senate Finance Committee bill the right health reform measure?
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Posted in: Congress • Health reform • Total Buzz poll • U.S. Senate | 7 Comments »

Poll: Should lawmaker have heckled Obama on immigration?

September 10th, 2009, 9:05 am by Dena Bunis, Washington Bureau Chief

wilson-heckleAmong all the problems Republican lawmakers have with President Barack Obama’s health reform plans and the bill the Democrats are preparing to vote for in the House is the issue of whether  illegal immigrants will get any benefits from changes in the system.

Obama addressed the undocumented immigrant issue during a section of his speech where he said he was debunking myths out there in the debate. “Now, there are also those who claim that our reform efforts would insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false,” Obama said.

At that point, South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilsonpointed his finger at the president and said “you lie.” Lawmakers from both parties began booing and Obama looked a little startled.  Heckling the president in the house chamber just doesn’t happen.

Should lawmaker have heckled Obama during his health speech?
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Posted in: Congress • Health reform • Immigration • President Obama • Total Buzz poll | 190 Comments »

Poll: Here’s Obama’s speech to students. What do you think?

September 7th, 2009, 9:44 am by Dena Bunis, Washington Bureau Chief

Obama 2008 Democratic ConventionThe White House just posted President Barack Obama’s talk to school children that will be piped into classrooms across the nation tomorrow at 9 a.m. pacific time. Click here to read it.

Obama’s will tell students that no matter how good their teachers or how vigilant their parents, that they must also take responsibility for making sure they get a good education.

“We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country. “ Obama will say from a high school in suburban Washington, D.C.

What do you think of Obama's speech?
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Posted in: OC schools • President Obama • Total Buzz poll | 245 Comments »

Military board calls for discharge of gay Tustin officer

June 30th, 2009, 4:16 pm by Martin Wisckol, Politics reporter

UPDATED with fresh comments from Choi.

In a news conference in Syracuse, N.Y. on Tuesday, June 30, 2009, Lt. Dan Choi, who has publicly announced he's gay, vows to fight a military administrative board's recommendation that he be discharged from the the New York National Guard for violating the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. - AP Photo

In a news conference in Syracuse, N.Y. on Tuesday, June 30, 2009, Lt. Dan Choi, who has publicly announced he's gay, vows to fight a military administrative board's recommendation that he be discharged from the the New York National Guard for violating the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. - AP Photo

Lt. Dan Choi of Tustin should be discharged from the National Guard because he violated the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy for gays, a military panel in New York decided this afternoon.

Such recommendations are typically approved by military brass.

Choi, an Arabic linguist who served in Iraq, made an announcement on national television in March that he was gay, and co-founded a West Point alumni group called Knights Out to support gays and lesbians in the armed forces.

Choi, a combat veteran, told the Associated Press that the recommendation amounted to firing him “for nothing more than telling the truth about who I am.

“I’m a leader. A setback is an opportunity to keep fighting, and I’m going to do that through my actions,” Choi said.

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Posted in: Gay issues • Total Buzz poll | 60 Comments »

Poll: Should the military accept the openly gay?

June 30th, 2009, 6:00 am by Martin Wisckol, Politics reporter

Today, Lt. Dan Choi, of Tustin, faces a military hearing to determine if he should be discharged for publicly discussing his homosexuality. To read about Choi and his situation, click here. To read about President Barack Obama’s speech Monday on gay rights and his desire to rescind the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, click here.

Should openly gay men and women be welcomed in the military?
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Posted in: Gay issues • Total Buzz poll | 6 Comments »

Poll: Obama’s first 100 days - how was it for you?

April 29th, 2009, 10:08 am by Martin Wisckol, Politics reporter

OK, so we’ve gotten a little caught up too by this Obama 100-day mania even though we acknowledge, as some other cynics have, that its a bit of a faux, Hallmark Card moment (as Gerald F. Seib writes in the Wall Street Journal).  Seib goes on to point out  that the new president has overseen the passage of a $787 billion economic-stimulus bill, handed out $350 billion in financial-sector rescue funds, and is moving forward with his own policy initiatives, including a new plan for providing health care in the US and an effort to dramatically curb greenhouse gases. But Seib also notes that some of Obama’s efforts have flopped, in particular his call for bipartisanship–which simply has not appeared.

Click here for reaction from Orange County politicos and experts. If you don’t already see more links and national reaction after the poll, click on the prompt.

How has Obama done in his first 100 days?
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Posted in: President Obama • Total Buzz poll • | 128 Comments »

Poll: Should supervisors be remodeling their lobby?

December 29th, 2008, 2:08 pm by Martin Wisckol, Politics reporter

You may have read the story about county supervisors spending $326,000 to remodel their lobby at a time when they’re also preparing to lay off hundreds of county workers. And you may have read about the 1,000 county workers who showed up at supervisors’ offices to protest last Tuesday. Supervisors’ explanation is that there were fire-safety issues raised with the old lobby, and that more security is needed to protect supervisors from lobby visitors in this post-9/11 world. What do you think? (Note: This item and question has been updated to remove mention of the breakroom renovation and cost, since that improvement was budgeted and completed well in advance of the need for lay offs.)

Do you support county supervisors' $326,000 lobby renovation?
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Posted in: OC Government • Supervisors • Total Buzz poll | 138 Comments »

Is the media biased toward Barack Obama?

October 31st, 2008, 10:32 am by Martin Wisckol, Politics reporter

Is the media biased toward Barack Obama? If so, is it an unfair bias or is it because Obama has a better message than John McCain?

Click here to vote in our OC Political Pulse poll, and see running results. If you’re not a member of Pulse, you can vote in the Public Poll box on the right side of the page.

If you’d like to comment on the issue, please do so below.

RELATED PRESIDENTIAL RACE COVERAGE

Posted in: OC Political Pulse • Presidential election • Total Buzz poll | 15 Comments »

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